Principal Grassa’s Pawprints 4/28/19

April 28, 2019

MCAS Testing

MCAS testing for students in grades 3-8 will continue through May. Students in grades 3-8 will take two sessions of ELA and two sessions of math. Students in grades 5 & 8 will also take two sessions of science. The MCAS Calendar will tell you which dates your child will be testing.

It is important that students are present and on time for school on testing days. Also, we want students to get a good night’s sleep and eat a healthy breakfast so they can be focused and ready to do their best. Students should not be nervous about testing; they are all well prepared. Please reach out to your child’s teacher if you have further questions.

New Student Welcome Sessions

We look forward to welcoming all of our new students to the Curley K-8 for next school year. We will host two welcome sessions.

K1 students only on Thursday, May 23rd from 9-10am. We ask that families bring their K1 student with them to this event. If you are attending please RSVP to Jenny Goldstein jfrazier2@bostonpublicschools.org.
K2-8th grade students on Wednesday, June 5th from 9-10am.
For questions about either event please email Cristina Silva (K-4) csilva4@bostonpublicschools.org or Sugeily Santos (Grades 5-8) ssantos2@bostonpublicschools.org

We are excited to meet our incoming students and families and welcome them to our community!

Spring Walk to School Day, May 1

Our school is participating in the Annual Spring Walk to School Day on Wednesday May 1, and we invite you to “join the movement!”

Did you know that walking to school helps students arrive ready to learn? Like eating a healthy breakfast, physical activity gives our brain the boost it needs to focus. And we want our students to be prepared for the school day.

This event is part of Safe Routes to School Boston, a city-wide effort to promote walking to school, by rallying neighborhoods and the community as a whole to work toward making walking to school safe, popular, and fun. The Curley Health and Wellness Committee is leading the effort for our school.

You can support this movement by:

Contacting the school office to help plan this event
Modeling safe walking behaviors for your children
Walking to school with your child or finding a walking buddy or group for your child to walk with
Reporting street repairs and improvements needed via BOS:311

Spring Park Ave and Chestnut Ave
Stop & Shop at 301 Centre Street
South Street and Sedgwick Street

Contact Emily Cavanagh (etcavanagh@gmail.com) with questions.

19th Annual Plant Sale: Saturday, May 4th

2019 Curley Plant + Bake Sale is this coming Saturday, May 4th from 10am-2pm. The Curley Plant Sale is fun and a treasured community event (19 years!). You’ll find a great selection of annuals, herbs and vegetables, plus activities for the kids, a raffle, and a fabulous bake sale (we still need items, please sign up here). No time to bake? Drop off some waters or other drinks. It all helps.

We still need volunteers in the afternoon. No plant experience necessary and kids can help too!Please sign up here even if you only have an hour. If you can’t volunteer just come BUY PLANTS and spread the word to friends and family. As with all school events, the proceeds help fund arts, Playworks, field trips, and other enriching experiences for all our kids at the Curley.

Questions/ideas: email Kristin Jurkoic (5th Grade parent) kjurkoic@yahoo.com or call/text 617.548.1461.

Volunteers Needed! Curley Teacher Appreciation Lunch: Friday, May 10th

Help say “THANK YOU!” to Curley teachers and classroom support staff!

This year’s Curley Teacher Appreciation Lunch will be on Friday, May 10. We are looking for volunteers to help set up, cycle food in/remove empty trays, and clean up. We will have two shifts and will need about 4 volunteers per shift (or you can work a double shift):

Shift 1: 10:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Shift 2: 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM

Please sign up to volunteer via this link: https://tinyurl.com/curleylunch

Email Michele Sinunu (masinunu@gmail.com) if you have any questions.

School Climate Survey for Parents

We want to hear what you think about your child’s school! BPS offers parents the opportunity to fill out a survey every year. Students and teachers also fill out surveys at school. Please let us know what is good and what needs to be changed or worked on to make your school better. Your feedback is very important. If you would like to participate, please fill out a survey found below.

This year we are encouraging parents to complete their surveys online. Please fill out one survey per child. Schools with high response rates will earn prizes. https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/climatesurvey

10th Annual Playworks Run for Recess: Saturday, May 18th

Please join us for a family friendly 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on Saturday, May 18th! The 5k Run for Recess is designed to bring students together from Boston, Cambridge, Lawrence and Brockton for a day of safe, inclusive, active, and healthy play. Most of the registration fees collected from a school that participates in the run will be donated back to the school. Please note that only the paper registrations will be donated back to your school. Contact your Playworks Staff (Coach – Jessika Sickey jessika.sickey@playworks.org_) for further clarification.

The Run for Recess is a great opportunity for schools to raise funds for the school, and to increase support for Playworks at your own school for next year. If you are interested in learning more about the event, or you or others from your school are interested in running the 5k, please visit: this link. The Run for Recess will be held at Franklin Park’s world-famous cross country course adjacent to the zoo. Please find more information attached.

Changes in Arrival Procedures SY2019-2020

Our safety procedures for arrival will be changing for the 2019-20 school year. Families will no longer be able to escort students to class in the morning. Instead, families will be able to walk their student to the lower or upper school main entrance, and the student will free walk to class or be escorted, depending on grade level.

We are going to pilot this change beginning in June, and want your feedback to ensure it goes smoothly. Please fill out the google form here to provide feedback.

Additionally, all visitors will now be required to sign in and sign out in the main office when visiting the Curley. Visitors will be issued badges that they must wear during their time in the school building.

Boston Children’s Chorus Summer Program

BCC SUMMER is a choral program for children ages 7-11. Our program distinguishes itself in its design for cultural exchange and collaborative music-making through BCC’s unique approach to music and social inquiry. The singers come together from all different walks of life to prepare and perform a concert, to learn about one another and society, and to explore the world with a new perspective. We are so excited for another fun-filled summer!

This year, we are offering 4 separate weeks of programming (with distinct themes below), and are actively becoming a tour destination for visiting choirs (last year, we hosted two ensembles: one from a neighboring church, and one all the way from Beijing!). Please see our website for more information: www.bostonchildrenschorus.org/BCCSummer.

Week 1 (July 29 – August 2): “Animals Extinct & Obscure” with Robbie Jacobs
Week 2 (August 5 – 9): “Heart Be Brave” with Irene Idicheria
Week 3 (August 12 – 16): “The Giant’s Garden” with Trey Pratt
Week 4 (August 19 – 23): “I Dream a World” with Jason Holmes

Support the Curley K8 Auditorium & Get Car Service from Morrison’s Auto-Rite

Morrison’s Auto-Rite (475 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain) is offering car maintenance services for FREE with a small donation to the Curley Auditorium (the total cost of the car services far exceed the donation!!!)

Free comprehensive multi-point inspection (check over your car’s health) including:

Free Oil Change (up to a $39.95 value). NOTE: some cars have additional charges for synthetic oil
Rotate tires
Balance two front tires (while doing rotation)
Free front wiper blades (most cars); no appointment needed for wiper blade install
Second free oil change (up to a $39.95 value)
Upgraded warranty on repair work done by Morrison’s Auto-Rite to two years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first. (There are a few exceptions for normal wear items, i.e. tires)
Unlimited tire pressure adjusting, no appointment needed
Unlimited fluid level checks, no appointment needed

TOTAL APPROXIMATE VALUE (SAVINGS) $295!

You must present the check in the amount of $95, made out to Friends of the Curley K-8, in person to Morrison’s Autorite to be eligible for these services. No credit cards, please!

Help the Curley Turn Markers Into Energy

The Curley School is participating in the Crayola ColorCycle program. Students and teachers will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. The markers will be sent to a facility where they will be converted into clean fuel.

Please help support our efforts by sending your kids in with any used markers you may have around your house—even non-Crayola brands. Drop-off boxes are located in the Upper and Lower School Offices.

Thank you for participating! Together, we can keep tons of plastic out of landfills each year. Learn more at: www.crayola.com/colorcycle.

Arrival/Dismissal Parking

We are asking families to pay attention to the parking signs at arrival/dismissal and make sure that you are not blocking driveways when you come to school. The Boston Police will ticket if you are found in violation of this on the surrounding streets

Social Media

For up to date information about the Curley K-8 School please sign up for email alerts by joining the Mailing List. You can also follow Principal Grassa on Twitter @principalgrassa and be sure to always use the hashtag #curleycares when sharing/posting/tweeting information about our school.